


Connection.

by mioupe



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:26:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24233539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mioupe/pseuds/mioupe
Summary: How easily he had a strong grip on your heart from that night. How easily you were pulled by him. The worst part is that all this time, he doesn't even remember you.Reader/Tetsurou Kuroo.
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Reader
Comments: 7
Kudos: 34





	1. Memories

_There isn't_ _anything to worry about if it's_ _the two of us, together._

(Y/N) would often repeat those words to herself ever since she heard Kuroo say them to her half a year ago, when the two of them were drunk from their university orientation party.

She remembered that they had exchanged some words but what lasted in her memories were those words that he spoke.

The thing is, they didn’t know each other at all at that time, but they both sat on a forgotten bench a couple of steps away from the club they were at.

Only she remembered his face, his words, and his charm.

Tetsurou Kuroo did not.

* * *

She was fully aware that Tetsurou Kuroo was part of the university volleyball team and he was a highly praised player.

They were complete strangers but (Y/N) often went to the volleyball court to watch him and his team play. She kept telling herself how silly it was that she went to watch him but whenever she realised that there were other girls watching the team play, she would backtrack and tell herself that she wasn’t silly after all.

Today was all the same. She was sitting alone, spectating the practice match between Kuroo and his teammates. There were a group of girls watching the team, excitedly talking about how good looking the men’s volleyball team were.

Not long after, the match ended with Kuroo’s side winning. She took a short and sweet look at Kuroo’s smiling face before she got up from her seat to return home for the day.

* * *

“My life is so boring,” (Y/N) said with a slight groan.

Her friend Sana looked at her with one of her eyebrow quirked up in confusion. “What brought this on?” She asked, turning her attention to her notebook.

The two girls were studying in (Y/N)’s room, reviewing the week’s lectures and discussing important points for their upcoming assignment.

(Y/N) shrugged. “I was watching the volleyball team earlier and I thought of how I didn’t do anything at all other than study.” She said. “I mean, surely I should be doing something in university.”

“Join a club then?” Sana said, wondering why (Y/N) was making this an issue when it could be solved. “I’m in the volunteer association.” She said.

“I didn’t know that.” (Y/N) said.

Sana shrugged. “I didn’t know you didn’t join a club.” She said.

(Y/N) sighed. Sana was right, she should join a club. It was probably important for her to show some activity outside of studying when she starts looking for work.

“Okay, relax. It’s a Friday and we’re free.” Sana said as she looked at her phone. “How about we go to this party tonight?” She asked, showing (Y/N) an event on her SNS. (Y/N) read the details--it was a student party at a club not too far from where she was.

“Well...” (Y/N) pondered. Sana narrowed her eyes at (Y/N) into a slight glare. “Okay, okay. I’ll go.”

“Great!” Sana said, grabbing her books and stationery. “I’ll get ready in a couple of minutes, and come back here to meet you. Let’s grab dinner and then head to the club.” She said.

(Y/N) nodded, smiling as she said goodbye to her friend. Once she closed the door, she went to take a shower and dressed for the night.

* * *

The party was wild as expected. The kids were drunk and although (Y/N) wasn’t interested at first, the energy in this club was making her interested in getting drunk.

Sana gave her a glass. “Gin and tonic!” She said with a grin, knowing that this was one of (Y/N)’s favourite drink.

“Awesome, thanks!” (Y/N) accepted it gratefully, drinking it rather quickly.

Sana looked at her in surprise. “Woah?” She said in surprise.

“I am ready!” (Y/N) shouted over the noise of music and chatter in the crowd.

Sana gave her a side-eye. “Not that it takes long for you to get drunk,” She said, even though her voice would be drowned out by the surrounding noise.

It really did not take long for (Y/N) to get drunk as expected by Sana. Unfortunately, Sana had lost (Y/N) in the crowd, and it was too noisy for her to shout (Y/N)’s name nor could she reach her on her phone.

Sana ran out of the club to call (Y/N) through her phone. _Please pick up,_ she begged in her thoughts. It took patience until (Y/N) picked up.

“Sana!” She heard (Y/N) say cheerfully. “What’s up?”

Sana sighed. “(Y/N)! Where are you? You had me so worried!” She chided.

There was a pause on the other end, which made Sana anxious.

* * *

(Y/N) was drunk. Even though she was aware that she was in the club and was having fun dancing with the crowd, her eyes would dart around the club, hoping to see that familiar face.

 _Tetsurou Kuroo, are you here?_ She wondered.

With staggered footsteps, she walked out of the club and ended up in the corner of the club. She stood silently, swaying and simply enjoyed feeling drunk. In a way, she tried to forget Kuroo.

She stumbled backwards only to end up feeling a soft wall and looked up to see that familiar face. Tetsurou Kuroo.

“Oh,” He said with a surprised face. “You look familiar.”

(Y/N) nodded. “That’s right,” She grinned. “And you’re familiar too.”

Kuroo laughed. Looking at his smile, she wondered if it was genuinely affectionate and warm as she was seeing at that moment.

They both stared at each other and (Y/N) could feel the distance between them closing in. 

She closed her eyes and leaned in to kiss him but her phone started ringing.

“Oops,” Kuroo said with a grin. “Time’s up, huh?” He said.

(Y/N) looked at him with an honest, disappointed expression. He laughed. “There isn’t anything to worry about if it’s the two of us, together.” He said.

 _That line again,_ she thought. _Why would you say that to me? Do you say that to everyone?_

Before she knew it, Kuroo had went elsewhere, and she picked up her phone. “Sana!” She said cheerfully. “What’s up?”

She gave a slight laugh when Sana chided her but soon she fell silent, wondering if what had happened was real.

“(Y/N)!” Sana yelled over the phone.

“I’m in…some corner outside the club?” (Y/N) replied.

In a couple of minutes, she saw Sana’s relieved face, and not too long after (Y/N) found herself saying goodbye to Sana while lying in bed.

As (Y/N) looked up towards the ceiling in the dark. She was still drunk but there was no doubt that Kuroo was with her. There was no doubt that he spoke those familiar words to her.

She was about to wonder if there was ever a chance that Kuroo remembered her and that he was interested in her as she was with him but she stopped herself.

_Have no expectations, (Y/N),_ she told herself. _Don’t let your heart be broken._

* * *

Tetsurou Kuroo stumbled and fell face flat into his bed. He groaned slightly, his head spinning from drunkenness. When he closed his eyes, an image of (Y/N)'s face appeared.

"Eh?" He mumbled aloud. _That girl,_ he thought. _I know her._

He drifted off to sleep, telling himself to find her next time.


	2. Meetings

The next day, (Y/N) was glad that she wasn’t hungover, although she was still tired. She spent the morning looking through the list of clubs available on the student website and noted down a few that caught her interest.

She then left the house to shop for some groceries at the nearest supermarket. As she entered the pasta and condiments aisle, she looked ahead to meet the eyes of that person.

Tetsurou Kuroo.

Her heartbeat quickened just from seeing him. Last night’s incident was real, she was sure, but it felt so unreal. She wondered if he remembered her.

Just as she moved forward through the aisle, he was moving forward towards her. He kept looking at her with a blank look on his face. She couldn’t keep up the eye contact, so she quickly moved past him to grab the pack of dry pasta and sauce she needed.

(Y/N) just didn’t know that Kuroo was wondering why she looked so familiar.

She had ended her grocery shopping early after seeing Kuroo. _I’m so silly,_ (Y/N) thought to herself.

When she returned home with her groceries, she realised that she had not bought a loaf of bread.

“Why the fuck, (Y/N).” She muttered.

* * *

Sundays were those days that made (Y/N) feel dreadful because the next day was Monday. She was determined to make the most of her Sunday but she didn’t even know what she wanted to do.

The day started with her having brunch with Sana at their favourite cafe, Caramilk. She should at least have a good cup of coffee and delicious food to kick-start her day.

“I decided on a club,” (Y/N) said. Sana looked at her expectantly. “I’m going to try the cooking club.” She said. It wasn’t really a sudden decision. She always enjoyed cooking even though she didn’t always have the time, and she believed that cooking well is also a skill.

Sana smiled as she cut into her french toast. “Sounds great, I’m sure you’ll do good in it.” She said.

(Y/N) returned the smile. “Thanks.” She said, before taking a bite of her food. “I was kind of worried that you’d think it wasn’t a very useful activity.”

Sana chuckled. “That’s silly! Cooking is so useful. Anyone can say they can cook but to cook well--that’s a skill. As long as you put your effort in whatever you do, the results will follow.” She said.

(Y/N) nearly cried. “Sana, you’re awesome.”

Sana laughed. “You are too, silly.”

* * *

Thus, the first day of (Y/N)’s cooking club started. It started off with everyone sharing a new dish they tried recently before the seniors of the club shared three recipes they could try for the day. Usually at this time, (Y/N) would be watching Kuroo play volleyball, but she was rather grateful that this activity had unexpectedly become a distraction from him.

At the end of the session, she managed to make a crunchy tofu and brown rice salad that was enough for two portions. In the list of things she was grateful for today, she added how glad she was that she brought two containers along for this. Feeling pretty proud of her salad, she decided she would pass one of them to Sana on her way home.

She walked with a slight hop as she headed towards Sana’s apartment unit. They stayed in different apartments but the area was full of students from the same university anyway. At the end of the alley, she turned right.

And she nearly bumped into that certain guy.

 _Why the fuck?!_ She screamed in her mind. They both froze to stop themselves from colliding into each other.

She took a quick glance at his attire and it looked like sportswear. His breath was quick and heavy, so it was obvious that he had been running for a while.

He looked at her as his breath started to return to normal. “You,” He spoke. (Y/N)’s heartbeat quickened even though she was as still as a rock. “This is a strange question but have we met before?” He asked.

She felt hesitant to say anything. _Yes, we have!_ She wanted to say. _You told me that we’d have nothing to worry about if we were together!_

As if he’d believe that.

“Oh, um, maybe you’ve seen me as a spectator during your volleyball practices?” (Y/N) asked, when she felt as if her stomach dropped into a bottomless pit and her face becoming hot from embarrassment. She instantly regretted revealing this fact.

“Oh…” Kuroo said, although he wasn’t actually convinced. “Well, I’ll keep an eye out when you drop by again.” He said with a grin. “We seem to be meeting more often than usual. Maybe it’s fate?” He jokingly asked.

(Y/N) couldn’t help but laugh, except she wasn’t laughing because his joke was funny. She laughed because life or fate, or whatever it was that was making this happen, was playing a silly game on her heart.

But she was grateful for this.

“Tetsurou-san,” She said, taking out a container of the salad she made today. “I made this tofu and brown rice salad today. You’re welcome to have this, if you’d like.” She said, slightly bashful. “Um,” She gave a shy smile. “There’s protein and it’s healthy.” She added, trying to convince him of the goodness of the dish.

Kuroo grinned. “Thanks, I’ll gladly have it.” He said, taking the container from her.

(Y/N) suddenly became embarrassed by this encounter. “Well, I’ve got to get going, see you later!” She said hurriedly and ran towards Sana’s apartment.

“Ah,” Kuroo turned to see her back. “I didn’t get her name.”

* * *

Sana laughed. “Are you sure you want to give this to me? Just when you met dear Tetsurou-san."

(Y/N) groaned and covered her face in her hands. “I can’t believe I did that!” She said.

Sana laughed again as she served (Y/N) a cup of tea and some cookies. “There’s a first for everything.” She said.

(Y/N) was visibly blushing when she looked at Sana. “I feel like I’m in high school again, having a crush on a guy I don’t really know.” She said.

Sana looked into her tea with a blank expression. “Sounds like it,” She said and (Y/N) noticed the apologetic smile she had on her face. “It’s not that I dislike Tetsurou Kuroo but I don’t think it’s a good idea to pursue it, (Y/N).” She said.

(Y/N) was surprised. “Why would you say that?” She asked Sana.

“Well, he’s quite popular, isn’t he? I feel like he’d have so many people going after him. I suppose it is like high school. Popular kids get whoever they want and have fun with it.” She said.

“What if he isn’t like that?” (Y/N) asked, feeling a little upset.

Sana put up her hands defensively. “I’m not saying he is that kind of person. I just don’t want you to get hurt by some guy who might just be fooling around.” She said.

(Y/N) gripped her mug tight, trying to understand Sana. “But…what if he isn’t like that?” She repeated meekly.

Sana sighed. “Okay, with that said, I don’t blame you if you still have feelings for him. I understand. We can’t just say we’ll forget our feelings and make it happen with a snap.” She said. “I just want you to be careful.”

(Y/N) sighed as well. “Okay.”

* * *

The next day, as (Y/N) finished her lecture for the day, she contemplated stopping by the volleyball court to watch Kuroo play again. She started chiding herself in her thoughts. _Come on, (Y/N), that_ _’_ _s enough. You don_ _’_ _t even know each other. You look silly trying to get his attention. And there are so many other cute girls trying to get his attention too..._

And then it started raining.

_Sudden rain?! Must this really happen right now?!_ She screamed in her mind as she ran to take cover, running into the cafeteria, although she was already drenched by the time she entered the covered area.

She sighed, taking out her handkerchief and dabbing her face with it. She shivered. “Cold.” She muttered. It would be perfect weather for hot soup. She kept her handkerchief in her pocket when she felt something on her shoulder and back. She froze for a moment when she heard a familiar voice and realised he had placed his jacket on her.

“Hey, you’re drenched. Are you okay?”

She nearly grimaced. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. Your jacket’s going to get wet.” She said but he placed his hand on her shoulder to keep the jacket in place.

“Well, how about you come over to mine next time and we can exchange what we both borrowed? The salad was great, by the way.” He grinned.

She nearly swooned by his charm. “Okay…” She mumbled as he waved her a goodbye and ran off towards the volleyball court.

She slumped slightly in disappointment. She’s definitely not going to get over him so easily.


	3. Starting Point

When (Y/N) got out of the warm shower, towel wrapped around her body, she walked towards her cupboard to grab some lounge wear. She paused when she spotted Tetsurou Kuroo’s sports jacket hanging on her seat.

She wanted to feel upset at him for handing her this jacket but all she felt was a constant tingle within herself, and a creeping warmth on her ears that travelled to her cheeks. Walking to his jacket instead, she picked up and held it in front of her, and hugged it to her chest.

Lifting it closer to her face, she nuzzled it and recognised his distinct scent.

She moved to her bed and fell on it, his jacket covering her face. Her arms dropped to her sides as she closed her eyes. _Am I really this silly?_ She wondered.

They were pretty much strangers. It doesn’t make sense. Why does she feel so deeply for him? _I thought I grew out of silly crushes in high school._

She gripped his jacket with one hand and stood up from her bed, thinking of throwing it across her room in irritation. The sudden movement loosened her bath towel and it fell off her body down to a soft lump on the floor.

_No matter how much I get upset, I still like him._

She hugged his jacket tightly to her naked body.

It wouldn’t hurt to dream of being hugged to his body, skin to skin, lost in lust.

* * *

(Y/N) heard the familiar and welcoming sound of her online game that she played on her phone. It has been a while since she played the game but she remembered enjoying it a lot. It was a much needed stress relief, what with studying and Testurou Kuroo on her mind.

Seeing the usual scene play up as her character named LuLun appeared, she directed her character around the common lobby of the game. She spotted many other characters around, which simply indicated that there were so many other players all over Japan gathered here.

She didn’t have other friends playing this game, so she would usually play it alone, although she had made a few acquaintances here. The good thing was that it wasn’t necessary to be in a team to play this game.

**‘Hi, how are you? I’m Daichi. Nice to meet you!’**

(Y/N) read the text that popped up on her screen. It was, frankly, the first time another player that she doesn’t know reached out to her.

It was also unusual to see a player with a real-life name. Not that it really mattered when it was a common name.

**‘Hi, I’m fine, thanks. I’m LuLun, as you can see :) Nice to meet you too, Daichi.’** She replied.

There was a slight pause before she received a response from him.

**‘Woah, you’re the first person to reply to me! I thought something was wrong with my game because no one replied to me. Thanks!’**

(Y/N) couldn’t help but laugh lightly. The people he messaged probably didn’t care enough to respond. He was only at level 5 after all and he really seemed new to this.

 **‘Haha, that’s okay. I guess the people you tried talking to were not that friendly. But that’s okay. You’ll get used to it. I usually play solo because most people play with their IRL friends.’** She replied.

Daichi gave a smiley in response. **‘Well I actually started playing because of my friends. I’m just waiting for them to log in. Why don’t you play with us?’** He asked.

Reading his offer, (Y/N) shrugged as she typed out her reply. **‘Yeah, why not. It’s been a while since I played in a team.’** She replied.

Just about two seconds after, a message box popped up on the side of her screen and she noticed that she was invited into a team chat titled ‘Mikasa’. One of her eyebrows rose up. She felt a sense of familiarity seeing that name but she wasn’t sure what it was, and why did they even name it that, out of all names?

Her thoughts were sidelined when she saw messages pop up instantly.

**BlacK: ‘Oh, who’s this?’**

**Daichi: ‘Met her just now! She said she usually plays solo but I asked her to join us.’**

**Pudding: ‘Nice to meet you’**

**LuLun: ‘Hi there, nice to meet you all. Hope you don’t mind me tagging along :)’**

**BlacK: ‘Cool, let’s have some fun!’**

They went to a forest stage that (Y/N) felt was a little too high for Daichi, but decided it was fine since there were three players that were over level 20 and, due to spending a lot of time stealing from bandits in another area over the course of her play-through, she had a lot of healing items to spare if anything should happen.

Sure enough, the tree monsters were a bit tough for Daichi despite him being a Knight class with a high defense. It worked out fine since the rest of them could keep the damage down. He just needed to level up more and equip himself with stronger armour once he reaches certain levels. By the end of the session, he had risen to level 10 while the others had gone up another level.

Overall, the session was a lot of fun and BlacK made sure everyone in the team knew it.

**BlacK: ‘That was a good session, guys!’**

**Daichi: ‘Thanks for the support, everyone! Really appreciate it!’**

**LuLun: ‘This was a lot of fun, thanks so much!’**

**Pudding: ‘thumbs-up’**

(Y/N) looked at the clock on her bedside table. Oh shit, she thought, remembering that she has an early class tomorrow. She looked back at the screen to see a private chat box pop up between her and Daichi.

**Daichi: ‘Hey, had a lot of fun today. Thanks for joining. Mind if we add each other as friends? We can play again next time.’**

She smiled.

**LuLun: ‘Sure! It was a lot of fun!’**

She then accepted his friend request, said goodbye to the team, and went to bed.

* * *

The silliest thing about every encounter she had between herself and Tetsurou Kuroo was that they never exchanged numbers nor their addresses. She had no idea how she was supposed to return his jacket and retrieve her container.

In her mind, she scoffed at herself. There wasn’t any other way but to find him on campus and, clearly, the best way would be to find him at the volleyball court after classes. Today was a full day for her but she was certain she could make it.

By the time she finally finished her final lecture of the day, she stepped out of the hall to see darkening skies. She rushed to the volleyball court. _Please, please let me make it,_ she thought. Reaching the court, she spotted Kuroo leaving.

“Tetsurou-san!” She called after him, running to him.

Hearing his name being called, he turned around to see (Y/N) running towards him. “Oh,” was all he could really say because he didn’t even know her name.

“Sorry, it’s just that I needed to return your jacket.” She said, taking out his neatly folded jacket from her bag and handing it to him. “I’ve washed it. It’s clean.”

Kuroo took the jacket from her and gave a grin. “Thank you. Hey, I need to return your container too, so come over now.” He said.

(Y/N) stared at him. He had a look of realisation. “Oh, sorry, are you busy?” He asked.

She shook her head. “No, no I’m not busy.” She said. “I just, I guess, I’m a little surprised that you’d invite me now.” She said with a nervous laugh.

“Well why not? You’re here now. Might as well drop by, you know? Besides, we can chat and have dinner.” He said casually.

“Chat and have dinner?” She repeated in a mumble. Things were progressing much quicker than she imagined.

Kuroo laughed. “Hello, are we good?” He asked, putting his jacket on. “Come on, I’m starving.” He said as he started to walk ahead.

“Yes, yes, I’m coming!” She blurted out as she caught up to him.

“Great answer!” He said with a grin. In return, (Y/N) could only look at him shyly. “By the way,” He said and a slight pause followed. “What’s your name?” He asked.

Her eyes widened and stared at him.

He grinned sheepishly. “Sorry.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. Everything about this was so silly. “(Y/N).” She said as her laugh subsided.

Kuroo laughed as well. “Great. (Y/N), would you like to have dinner with me?” He asked kindly.

She smiled widely at him. “Yes, let's have dinner together.”


	4. No Chill

Kuroo’s request was to buy takeaway and dine at home, so the two of them did just that. He said he preferred eating and relaxing in his home that night, and (Y/N) was more than happy to do the same. “Let’s just take our time and relax.” He said.

Sitting across him at his small table, she occasionally glanced at him eating his food while she ate her own. He took bigger mouthfuls of food than she did and the way he was eating made the food look delicious. Despite feeling a little shy of eating in front of him--what if her food dropped from her chopsticks just as she was about to eat them?--she was glad to be able to have this dining experience with him.

“Ah,” He sighed contentedly as he finished his meal and leaned on the wall behind him. “I’m full.”

(Y/N) smiled and continued eating. They haven’t really spoken much since they entered his home. He was probably too hungry to talk. “Was it good?” She asked.

“It’s alright. Your salad was better.” He winked.

She laughed in disbelief. “Come on, it was just a salad.”

“Well,” He sat upright, which made her sit upright as well. “I spend a lot of time practicing volleyball and if I’m not, I’m studying. A balanced meal is important but sometimes I don’t get to have that. So if I get to eat food that’s nutritional and tasty, then that’s best.” He explained.

(Y/N) looked at him thoughtfully. “I see,” She said. “That’s true.” She paused in her thoughts. “I cook most of my meals, so I must have come to a point where I take for granted how well I am eating.” She said. Kuroo simply relaxed and listened to her. She giggled softly. “I feel like I’m a little less ignorant from this. It makes me appreciate my cooking skills.”

Kuroo chuckled. “Damn right.” He said. “If only I could always eat your meals too.”

(Y/N)’s expression changed into surprise. “Um,” She smiled bashfully. “I wouldn’t mind cooking for two.”

This time, it was Kuroo who looked at her in surprise. “Seriously?” He asked.

Suddenly she felt embarrassed by her boldness. “Well, it’s cheaper than buying meals!” She ended up saying, her voice a little louder and high pitched due to her shyness. “A-And I get to be more conscious of nutrition and I’m already in the cooking club, so this will be practice too!” She rambled.

Kuroo laughed. “Sorry, I wasn’t being serious. I don’t want to trouble you.”

(Y/N) shook her head. “Well, I really wouldn’t mind. I’m happy to cook some meals for you when I can.” She said.

He showed a bashful smile, which tugged on (Y/N)’s heart. “If it’s not too troublesome for you, I’d be really grateful. Of course, I’ll pay my share of the ingredients.” He said.

She felt a warmth creep up her cheeks and she smiled widely.

After they cleaned up the aftermath of their dinner, the realisation that she’s in Tetsurou Kuroo’s room was sinking in deeply. “Um, thanks for letting me come over.” She said to fill in the silence

Kuroo brought her a mug of warm water and her container. Taking the two items from him, she placed the container beside her bag and sipped the water.

“Do you want to chill and watch a show?” He asked.

She froze. _Oh fuck,_ she thought, _This is it. This is Netflix and Chill. I’m not even wearing the right lingerie for this. This wasn’t how it’s supposed to turn out._

Kuroo wondered if she heard him but decided to set up his laptop for a show they could watch. “Oh, I don’t really have a couch, as you can see. So it’s more comfortable to sit on my bed.” He said.

Truly, Netflix and chill.

Frankly, (Y/N) was not ready to sleep with him even though she had dreamed of it.

He was already sitting comfortably on his bed, laptop on his lap. “Let’s just watch one episode of this.” He said, patting to the space left beside him.

She was hesitant but she didn’t want to leave.

She ended up choosing desire over rationality.

Setting the mug of water on the table, she went over to sit beside Kuroo.

He started playing the video shown on his laptop and the two of them focused on the screen. Kuroo could tell that there was some stiffness in the way (Y/N) was sitting. It didn’t take long for her to ease her posture as she leaned back on the headboard and settled snugly by his side.

Kuroo looked at her from the corner of his eye. He felt unexpectedly pleasant, as if he finally realised that all he wanted was for her to fill in the space beside him. _That sounds ridiculous,_ he thought, but he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed her company.

“This show’s interesting, isn’t it?” She asked him while keeping her eyes on the screen. “They make it seem as if there are jump scares but in the end there are none.” She said.

“Ah, yeah.” He said. “It’s not as interesting to me as I expected.” He said.

(Y/N) turned to look at him in surprise. “Oh.” She said. “Well I guess there’s no reason to continue.” She said, pausing it.

“Huh? I thought you were into it.” He said.

“Well it’s not fun if only one of us is enjoying it.” She said. She spotted the time on the bottom corner of the screen. “Oh crap, look at the time! It’s pretty late.” She said.

“Wait,” He said, stopping her from getting off the bed. “Let’s just relax for a moment.” He said.

She turned to look at him, only to see that he was leaning back against the headboard, eyes closed. “Okay.” She said softly, leaning back comfortably herself. Five minutes of silence had passed and she thought he had just fallen asleep. _I have to go home_ , she thought and decided to slip off the bed as softly and silently as possible.

“Ah, I’ll walk you home.” She heard his voice reverberate through the silence. She jumped slightly from the sudden voice. “Since it’s late.” He added.

“Oh, it’s fine. My house is just about five minutes away.” (Y/N) said with a smile. “You should just go to sleep. You look really comfortable right now.”

Kuroo smirked. “Wanna get comfortable with me?” He asked.

“Sure.” She replied easily, making him shocked. She laughed. “You thought you could play a prank on me? That’s why I’ve done one better.”

Kuroo simply laughed.

(Y/N) eventually gave in to Kuroo’s persuasion to walk her home. The air was a little cool during their five-minute walk. It was silent as well, and yet, they both felt it was natural.

The moon was gorgeous against a velvet dark sky.

Their sound of their light footsteps against the ground was a lull against the silence.

This was all too natural.

The two of them stood by the door to her home and she dug out her house key from her bag. She smiled at Kuroo. “Thanks for walking me home.” She said.

Kuroo gave a tired smile. “Glad I could.” He said.

“Maybe next time you can come over for lunch or dinner.” She said, her ears feeling warm from shyness. “And you can let me know if my cooking fits your palate.” She said.

He chuckled. “Definitely.” He said, showing his phone. They exchanged numbers. “I’ll text you.” He said.

“Oh, yes, sure,” She said. “Good night.”

He grinned. “Good night.” He said, and then turned around to walk away.

Something was tugging her heart, urging her to say something important.

There was something she needed to say.

But all she could do in the end was to watch his retreating back.

She unlocked her door and walked into her house.

Once the door closed, she sighed.

She just took a quick shower and crashed on her bed.

In the end it was a wholesome Netflix and chill.

* * *

It had been a couple of days since (Y/N) logged in to the online game she was playing and she was quite excited to play for some stress relief.

Appearing online as LuLun, she decided to eat for some temporary stat boost before starting her solo adventure. After watching a familiar scene of food being eaten by LuLun, her chat box popped up.

****‘Hi LuLun, it’s been a while!’** **

(Y/N) realised it was Daichi. Looking at his profile, she found that he had leveled up quite a lot since they last played together. ****‘Hi Daichi, it sure has! And wow, you’ve leveled up a lot since the last time we met!’****

****‘Haha, yeah, I didn’t want to keep relying on everyone to help me fight, so I spent some time leveling up by myself.’** **

A moment passed as she read his message and before she could send a reply, he sent another.

****‘Would you be interested in going to Astor Ruins together? It’s just me today, though, the others won’t be joining.’** **

Fortunately for Daichi, (Y/N) was planning to go to Astor Ruins from the start. ****‘Yeah, I was planning to go there. Let’s go together then!’****

The first few battles went without a hitch and (Y/N) was glad to see that Daichi had no problem fighting the monsters without her help.

****‘Truth be told, I thought everyone was going to stop playing because of school and, in my case, volleyball.’** **

The word volleyball made (Y/N) freeze. _But wait,_ she thought, _he could be a high school volleyball player or something_.

****‘Oh, you play volleyball?’**** She asked in her reply.

****‘Yeah, I’ve been playing volleyball for a long time, and so are my friends, the ones we played with some time ago.’** **

She wondered which school he was in. ****‘That’s amazing. Which prefecture are you in?’**** She asked.

****‘Oh, I’m in Miyagi Prefecture. How about you?’** **

_Oh wow_ , she thought, _he’s definitely not in Tokyo_. But at least now she knows. ****‘I’m in Tokyo.’****

****‘Ah, I see. We’re quite far then.’**** He replied with a grinning emoji.

****‘Hahaha, yeah, but we could think of it as a bullet train’s ride away!’**** She joked.

****‘True.’**** Was all Daichi replied. ‘If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?’

There was a pause as (Y/N) stared at the screen. She wasn’t sure if she should be honest or not. What if Daichi was actually an old man looking to lure young girls into something dangerous? She decided to share her real age, thinking that she would be safe if that was all she divulged. ****‘I’m 21.’**** She said.

****‘Oh hey, same here!’**** He replied.

She couldn’t really believe him but she played along.

****‘My other friends, the ones we played with last time, are in Tokyo too. It would be funny if you guys turned out to be in the same school.’**** He said.

She read his text and her heart beat a little quicker from the possibility. Hang on, she thought to herself. He could just be trying to fool me.

‘Oh, well, that’s interesting but I don’t think it’d be a good idea to reveal personal details here.’ She replied.

****‘True. One day, maybe. But I’m genuine. I know I’m just saying it but I believe you and I hope you believe me too.’**** He texted.

(Y/N) couldn’t help but feel that there really was truth behind his words. Even though she was a little hesitant, she felt it might actually be okay to believe him. ****‘Well, how about we keep playing and see where that takes us?’**** She said with a smiling emoji.

****‘Absolutely!’**** He said, returning the smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for the long delay in posting a new chapter. Many things have happened in real life since the previous chapter so I got busy. I hope this chapter was not disappointing and you have enjoyed it!


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